


Tradition

by Palm_Trees



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Thunderstorms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:15:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22261690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palm_Trees/pseuds/Palm_Trees
Summary: Nevertheless, Joohyun still nestled into Seulgi’s body - an arm instinctively slipping around the younger woman.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene & Kang Seulgi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Tradition

**Author's Note:**

> Read somewhere that Seulgi used to calm Joohyun down when there were thunderstorms.
> 
> Had this in storage for a while, figured I should let it see the light of day.

The days Seulgi spent sharing a room with trainees are long gone. In the time since, Seulgi’s become an idol - recognized for not only her dancing but vocals, participated in world tours, made unforgettable memories, and developed unbreakable bonds with four amazing women.

Gone are the days of Seulgi lying awake at night, drifting off to sleep only to be snapped back to reality by another trainee entering their room after midnight practice. Gone are the days where Seulgi would avoid her dorm room, desperate to stay in the dance studio to avoid anyone else.

Gone are the nights spent texting Joohyun, both of them nervous about upcoming evaluations. 

However, one thing that remained constant was the older woman’s fear of thunderstorms.

“Seulgi?”

The raven haired woman looked up from rearranging the vinyls on her shelf. The Beatles was playing softly in the background, the melody contrasting against the cracks of thunder outside. Seulgi found the violent weather strangely beautiful. She couldn’t say the same for Joohyun, however.

Seulgi smiled at her best friend, motioning to her bed so Joohyun knew she was welcome to sit. Seulgi’s sure she would have made her way over to the mattress, anyways. The younger woman finished organizing the records, humming along to  _ Yesterday _ as rain continued to pelt against the window. Seulgi noted that her watch read past 1am. The thunder must’ve woken Joohyun up.

“Can’t sleep.” It was more of a contemplative remark then a question.

“Can’t sleep.” Joohyun lifted up the duvet cover as Seulgi made her way to her bed.

Seulgi grabbed a hoodie before slipping underneath the heavy covers. She rolled the fabric into a makeshift rectangle before laying her head down. The woman beside her hadn’t tried to settle down yet.

“You should be the one to sleep with the pillow.” 

The woman couldn’t help the smile that took over her features. “We can’t change tradition.”

A loud crack of thunder wiped the frown off Joohyun’s face, her head immediately seeking refuge in the crook of Seulgi’s shoulder.

The younger woman remarked that it's been a while since the last thunderstorm. Nevertheless, Joohyun still nestled into Seulgi’s body - an arm instinctively slipping around the younger woman’s waist.

Seulgi couldn’t help but chuckle at Joohyun’s actions. Even with fame, fans, and high expectations, Joohyun’s greatest fear was still thunderstorms. Seulgi could still remember their nights spent together as trainees - the night when Seulgi found out about Joohyun’s fear of thunder.

_ “Seulgi, do you mind if I stay with you?” Joohyun stood in the doorframe. _

_ “Is something wrong?” _

_ “It’s just the storm.” _

2013, the year that their ‘Thunderstorm Sleepovers’ started. Joohyun debuted as ‘Irene’, an SM rookie and Seugli learned that they’d be debuting together in a new girl group. The two girls were quickly placed together in the same dorm with the intent of building a strong relationship for the public. Practices and cover dances followed suit. Soon their evaluations were as a unit, too. 

It was a rough road for the both of them. Seulgi remembers days when Joohyun would walk in uninvited, tears welling up in her eyes. Much to her embarrassment, Seulgi remembers a handful of times where she had done the same.

Even though they lived in the same dorm, trained in the same studio rooms - it was the nights filled with rain and thunder that brought them closer together. During the rainy season, it became a common routine for Seulgi to give up what little sleeping space she had to Joohyun. The two women would sometimes talk for hours on end. There were a handful of times when they’d get out of bed after talking and it was already morning.

Listening to the constant  _ pit pat  _ of rain playing as background music to  _ Let it be  _ and Joohyun holding tightly onto her body, Seulgi let her mind drift.

_ Seulgi was lying on her bed and texting her mom while it stormed outside. It was still relatively early, around 11pm or so. Seulgi sighed as she felt the stilts above her rock and shake the structure. The trainee on the top bunk had always been a restless sleeper. _

_ Light poured in through a small crack in the door, illuminating the dark room. Seulgi gave her eyes time to adjust before focussing on the figure that still crept in the doorway. _

_ “Can’t sleep?” Seulgi mused. _

_ “Can’t sleep.”  _

_ Seulgi backed up against the wall, giving Joohyun adequate space to sneak under the covers. _

_ “Storm again.” Seulgi laid her head on her arm, making herself more comfortable. _

_ Joohyun hummed as she pulled the thin blanket over her shoulders. Seulgi couldn’t help but note how tense the older woman was.  _

_ The younger trainee slid her arm over Joohyun’s waist, hoping that it would give her a sense of comfort. It was strange, how every time there was a storm the other woman would sneak into Seulgi’s bed. Seulgi’s room was down the narrow hallway. Joohyun shared a room with two other trainees who Seulgi didn’t doubt could calm her down. The number of times that Joohyun crept into her room could no longer be counted by Seulgi’s fingers. _

_ Joohyun snuggled closer to Seulgi, abandoning the pillow in favor of the younger girl’s shoulder.  _

_ They lay in silence, pillow forgotten, listening to nature’s symphony. The occasional thunder clap would make Joohyun flinch and bury herself further into Seulgi’s embrace. Seulgi wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but the storm outside remained. _

_ “You should have your pillow back.” Joohyun whispered. _

_ “It’s okay.” Seulgi denied. _

“I’m not sure I’d call me stealing your pillow ‘tradition’.” Joohyun deadpanned against the silence. Seulgi noted that her record player had stopped.

“I’m sure seven years is enough to make it a tradition.”

Seulgi felt hot breath against her neck as Joohyun frustratingly exhaled. She knew that the woman beside her wasn’t mad, though. At certain times of the night, when silence filled the room and thunder clapped in the distance - Joohyun would always start a conversation, desperate for anything to fill her ears.

Because of this, Seulgi and Joohyun soon found a rhythm to their conversations, a constant cycle. After Joohyun would try and fail to get Seulgi to take back her pillow, the leader let Seulgi take the lead. Sometimes Seulgi lay in silence, listening to Joohyun relay what she did during the week. Other times they would debate over insignificant things like pizza toppings, or what prank Yerim should pull on Sooyoung next.

More often than naught, Seulgi would hum nonsensically. Over the years, she’s found that Joohyun easily falls asleep to her voice - lulled into slumber by vibrations and calm melodies. Joohyun would never admit to it, though.

Seulgi shifted the bundled fabric underneath her in an attempt to flatten down.

Joohyun, who was peacefully hugging onto Seulgi stirred. “Maybe I should start bringing my own pillow.”

Seulgi playfully flicked Joohyun’s shoulder with the arm fastened around her. She smiled at the grimace that flashed across the older woman’s face, quickly replaced by a tired expression.

“That’s going against tradition.” Seulgi stared up at the ceiling.

Small lines of light would randomly dance across the white paint. The younger woman wondered where people were going so late at night.

Even though Seulgi could no longer see Joohyun’s face, she knew that the woman was frowning at the overused line. It slipped off her tongue too easily. She’d denied Joohyun the train of thought too often that it’s become second nature to oppose her ideas during their time together.

“You and your traditions.” Joohyun mused.

Seulgi took off her watch and set it aside. She let out a deep exhale, the woman beside her sighing in content at the circles Seulgi was drawing on her back. Seulgi continued drawing lazy patterns until she felt the woman’s breathing beside her slow down. 

Sure that Joohyun was asleep, Seulgi rearranged them more comfortably on the small bed. She felt Joohyun return tightly to her side and instinctively nuzzle back into the crook of her shoulder. Seulgi drew one last consonant on Joohyun’s back,  _ love. _

“Goodnight, Joohyun.”

**Author's Note:**

> All right... not much happened but it's soft, cute, unedited + I have no regrets.
> 
> Hope everyone's 2020 is going well so far.  
> Best Regards,  
> Palm_Trees


End file.
